Hello
by xxAngel.of.Bloodlustxx
Summary: Vincent Valentine has always kept his love for Tifa Lockhart hidden... but everything changes when Tifa is murdered one night at the bar. Post-AC and DoC. CloTi and one-sided ViFa. AU.
1. She's Not Breathing

Hello

A CloTi and One-Sided ViFa Fan Fiction

The Prologue

_Has no one told you she's not breathing_? - Evanescence, 'Hello'

Vincent rushed down the hospital hallway, rain dripping from his hair and cloak. He blinked; the lights were too bright for his eyes. He had just come from outside, where it was dark and stormy. His heart hammered as he searched frantically.

He didn't know what had happened to her. None of them did. All he knew was that some drunken mako addict had walked into the bar and thought that a dealer lived there.

_Probably saw Cloud's God damn eyes_, Vincent thought bitterly. _She never knew what was coming._

When he found Tifa living there, and found no mako, he must have stabbed her in rage.

Just those words were a stab to Vincent's heart.

As he ran, cursing Cloud and his damned blue eyes, he looked into the rooms on either side of the hallway. He needed to find her. Before it was too late.

Finally, he came to the end of the corridor. He peered in, and… there she was.

Her eyes were closed, her face was deathly pale, and her shoulder-length ebony hair spilled onto the pillow. She was hooked up to at least three machines, with a tube in her nose and an IV drip in her wrist. She wore a white hospital gown and was covered by a thin bedspread, but a number of bruises and contusions on her arms and legs showed through. One, though, stood out among the rest: a large, blotchy blue mark on her throat, where it looked as though fingers had strangled. There were blood-soaked bandages on most of her torso. She was breathing shallowly, her chest rising and falling weakly.

Vincent felt a rush of emotion seeing her like that. _Who had done this to her_? He slid silently to her side and picked up her skeletal, ice-cold hand. He squeezed her fingers tenderly.

Her eyes snapped open at his touch. She turned her head slowly to face him. "Vincent?" she murmured hoarsely. She looked so helpless and vulnerable, lying there…

"I'm here, Tifa."

She looked at herself, then smiled feebly. "It's good to see you. I guess I'm not looking my best, am I?" she joked.

Vincent wished he could return her smile. "No, I… I guess not."

"Where's Cloud?"

Vincent's heart sank and he felt a surge of anger at the mention of him. She still cared about that unhinged, unreliable delivery boy? How could she still love him, after the pain and sorrow he had caused her and the children?

And how could he continue to treat her like that, after all she had done for him? He was probably out on a delivery now, while she lay fighting for her life… The brainless idiot had his cell phone turned off, and they couldn't reach him. "We don't know."

"I wonder where he is…" Tifa suddenly shuddered in pain and put a hand on the bandage covering her wound. "Vincent… what's… happening to me?"

Vincent fought to keep control of his emotions. It was easy for him; he shut them out, but when it concerned her…

"I don't know," he admitted, looking down.

"What if he's hurt?" she cried. She tried to sit up. "We have to find… _ah_!" She let out a shrill yelp of agony.

"No, Tifa! You have to rest!" Vincent took her shoulders and gently pushed her down.

"But what if he's hurt?" she protested. "Maybe he crashed Fenrir in the storm!"

How could she worry about _him_ when she was so near death? "Tifa, I'm sure he's fine."

Tifa closed her eyes, trying to hide the pain. "Optimism isn't very becoming of you, Vincent," she whispered. It was meant as joke, but she wasn't smilling. She sighed. "I'm so glad you're here, Vincent." A thought struck her, and she swiftly opened them and smiled. "Vincent… can I trust you to keep a secret?"

Vincent cocked an eyebrow, trying to look calm and collected. "What is it?"

Tifa grinned, despite her frailty and pain. She giggled quietly and whispered, "I'm pregnant."

Vincent's jaw dropped, and he felt as though the floor beneath him had give way. This was the last thing he would have ever guessed. "W-what?" he sputtered.

She giggled again. "I know. Five weeks." She patted her stomach proudly. "Pretty amazing, huh?"

Vincent struggled to say something supportive, but all he could think of was, "And it… is it Cloud's?"

"Yes, it's Cloud's," she replied. She let out a little laugh. "Who else's? Oh, and who would have imagined it? Me, a mother…" She beamed dreamily, and her ashen skin seemed to glow with delight.

Vincent would never have admitted it, but he had imagined it often.

"And I guess I have another secret, too." Without asking him if he could keep it, she said, "I'm engaged."

Vincent managed to keep the tiny quaver out of his voice. "To Cloud?"

Tifa nodded, unable to contain her happiness. "He proposed about a month and a half ago."

If her announcement of pregnancy was jaw-dropping, then this declaration of marriage was earth-shattering, though he knew that he should have expected this. It had been four and a half years since Meteor, and Cloud and Tifa had been living together since then.

Why didn't he just tell her how he felt, that day so long ago? Maybe… maybe it would be _them_, engaged…

"Vincent?"

Tifa's soft voice shook him from his reverie. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy?"

Vincent looked at her, and attempted a smile. "Of course I'm happy, Tifa. You're my friend."

Tifa brushed a lock of his long black hair away from his face. "Vincent. Don't be sad."

"I'm not sad."

Tifa smiled. "You're a rotten liar." Her face fell. "Vincent? Tell me the truth… Am I going to die?"

He looked out through the glass wall of her room, and saw Barret talking to the doctor. The large man's face was stained with tears as the doctor shook his head.

Vincent laughed nervously. "Of course not, Tifa. You're going to be fine. You're going to live a long life and have nine children and be married to Cloud for the rest of your life." Those words were bitter in his mouth, but he hoped that they would bring comfort for her.

Tifa shook her head. "You're lying." She didn't say it accusingly, just... sadly.

"Tifa, you're not going to die -"

"No, Vincent," she said forcefully. "My eyes are darkening…"

He could feel his eyes tearing up. "Tifa, no…"

"Vincent… I need you to tell Barret… tell him to look after Cloud and the kids." Tifa's voice was strained and shaky, as she tried to tell him her last wishes before it was too late. "And tell Marlene and Denzel it's okay to cry, but try to be brave. Tell Cid to take care of Shera and all his assorted little Highwinds. Tell Red XIII and Yuffie and everyone else not to miss me too much. And Vincent… be strong." She squeezed his hand with the little strength she had left.

"And tell Cloud…" She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She was getting close now. Her hand was getting colder, and her face was getting paler.

"Tell Cloud… I love him. I will always love him." She paused as her eyes bulged in agony, then she breathed, "Tell him about the baby… tell him about our little girl. I'll always be with all of you." With a final shudder, she choked out, "Cloud…" And she was still.

"Tifa, I… I _love_ you." The words had left Vincent's mouth before he could stop them, but he knew that they had been too late. She was gone before she could hear them. Vincent gently put his fingers on her eyelids and closed them. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, beautiful even in death, and put his lips to her forehead. "I love you," he sighed.

"Vincent!" Cloud burst into the room, his spiky shock of blond hair and dark jacket soaked from the rain. He looked at Tifa, frozen and lifeless, and Vincent could tell that the dim realization hit him.

He gazed up at the young man. His wine-red eyes were piercing. "It's too late, Cloud, she's... gone."

A look came upon Cloud's face, one so peculiar that Vincent could not place it. It was a mixture of sorrow, confusion, disbelief and anguish. He clutched the bedside table for support as he stammered, "No… no, no, she isn't…"

"Yes," Vincent murmured.

"Oh God… no… no, no, Tifa, _no_!" he roared. He fell to his knees, and threw himself upon Tifa's lifeless body, rocking and cradling it as if it were something precious. "No, God! Tifa! No, please don't take her from me! _Tifa, come back_!" he howled. "_Noooo_!" He cried freely, not attempting to hide his torment and sufferance. His chest shook with sobs as he laid his head on her chest and closed his eyes, still weeping. "_Please, no…_"

Vincent retreated silently to the corner, unnoticed, as Cloud raged inconsoleably.

Barret and the rest of AVALANCHE stumbled in, and they collectively looked from Cloud's sobbing figure, to Vincent for confirmation. "She's gone," he murmured.

Vincent could vaguely hear people screaming and crying. He saw, through blurred eyes, Barret pull an uncontrollable Cloud off of Tifa. He had the dim sensation of someone's arms around him; Yuffie's. He suddenly remembered shamefully that the two had been a couple for many months now.

He finally surrendered to the onslaught of mournful tears. "I love you," he murmured, though only he knew the woman he spoke to.


	2. Rain Clouds

Hello

- A CloTi and One-Sided ViFa Fan Fiction -

_"Rain clouds come to play again..."_ - Evanescence, 'Hello'

"She was a delicate flower, so bright and full of life, but so fragile in death..."

Vincent stood in the cemetary, his scarlet eyes fixed on the ground as the minister read a short eulogy for Tifa. _How could he talk about her like that_? he though furiously, his hands balled into fists so tight his knuckles were blanched. _He hadn't even known her_!_ As far as he knew, she was some just some barmaid in Edge_...

But to him, Tifa would never be 'just some barmaid'.

It was two weeks after Tifa's death. For days, it had rained heavily, as if the heavens themselves were weeping cold tears of sorrow and rage. Despite the dark, ominous storm clouds overhead, it was an outdoors open-casket burial, so that those whom she loved could see her face one last time...

All of AVALANCHE was there, Shera, Reeve, even the Turks, and a few people Vincent didn't recognize. To his right stood Yuffie, her now shoulder-length hair done up in a tight bun, with two long tresses falling down on either side. She wore a black satin dress with a red sash and a black veil. She was unusually still and silent.

To his left was Barret, who held Marlene and Denzel on either side. The big dark man's eyes were puffy and swollen, and the children's faces were portraits of anguish and sadness.

The wind tossed a lock of Vincent's thin, raven hair. His tattered, crimson cloak billowed, showing more life than the man possessed at that moment.

He cursed the wind. He cursed the sky. He cursed the whole damn Planet. He cursed his stupidity, for never telling her how he felt. He cursed life itself, because life would never be the same without her.

The patronizing voice of the minister was quiet, and most people took this chance to close their eyes and remember Tifa. But Vincent didn't; he looked across from him, where stood Cloud in a black jacket. His face was pale and his eyes were dull and empty, like blue voids. According to Barret, he had cried and screamed Tifa's name over and over for several hours, then... nothing. Not a word, not a tear. Just silence.

He was retreating inside himself.

Vincent almost exploded in rage. _Why are you doing this_? he wanted to scream. _Why are you doing this to her_? _She never would have wanted you to_! _She would have __**died **__before_...

He stopped in mid-thought, then laughed bitterly in his mind. _That's right_; she _was _dead.

Vincent's eyes travelled from the blond delivery boy to the pale face in the coffin. His precious Tifa...

She had been dressed in a simple, pearl dress. The gossamer fabric was as white as her own skin. Her hands were folded over her stomach, over the child she would never birth, and her long midnight hair, styled wavy and elegant, had fanned out on the pale fabric of the casket. Her face was sad-looking, impassive. Vincent half-expected her eyes to slowly open, and for her to smile and climb out. For her to laugh again. For her to say his name.

If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought her a sleeping angel. But angels didn't die, did they?

One by one, the minister handed out flowers to cast on the grave. Vincent's was a blood-red rose.

One by one, they cast their flowers onto the coffin. They wouldn't actually bury her until later that day, but everyone would be gone anyway.

And one by one, they slowly began to leave.

After a moment, Vincent felt a small but persistent tugging on his sleeve. "Come on," Yuffie whispered, gently leading him away.

Cloud stayed, on his knees beside the coffin as it was slowly lowered into the ground.

Vincent breathed a silent promise, that he would never sleep, never rest, never stop until the one who was responsible was found.

* * *

Vincent waited outside of the funeral home for Cloud to return. His grief and torment was too strong to disobey.

The young blond swordsman returned finally, his shoulders slumped and his face stained with tears. Vincent glared at him. "Cloud," he called in his raspy voice. "I need to talk to you."

Cloud looked up, startled, then his eyes settled upon Vincent's hunched figure. "I don't want to talk," he muttered mechanically.

Without warning, Vincent grabbed Cloud's wrist tightly. "Do you understand how she felt about you? What she sacrificed for you? _Do you_?" he snarled.

Cloud looked taken aback, but his mind was too numb to retort. "Vincent, please, I can't... I can't do this right now." He pried Vincent's ice-cold fingers from his hand and turned to walk away.

In a flash, Vincent pulled Cerberus from its holster and pressed it against Cloud's forehead. The unreleased anger poured into his veins like liquid fire. "_Do you know what you did to her_? What your running away did?"

"_Vincent_..." Cloud pleaded, his blue eyes wide with fear and shock.

"_You _killed her more than that mako addict did! You killed her _heart_, Cloud! Don't you understand that _at all_?!"

"Vincent, please... I... I _loved _her!" Cloud cried in a strangled voice.

The gunman pulled back his weapon and shook his head. "Even in her last moments, all she wanted was for you to be safe."

"W-_what_?"

"Yeah, that's right," Vincent spat. "She cared about _you _more than she cared about herself, even when she knew she was going to die."

Cloud's mouth hung open as he stared at the ground in disbelief. His eyes were now wide with grief.

"She was carrying your child, Cloud," Vincent murmured. He wasn't angry anymore; just sad. "She wanted you to know about your little girl."

As Vincent walked away, he heard Cloud's weak voice behind him. "... she spoke of you often. She used to talk about... your _eyes_..."

Vincent's heart skipped a beat, but as he turned in shock, Cloud had disappeared into the building.

The young man's words lingered in the air, like wisps of smoke, strong enough to see but too weak to hold. _Your eyes... she spoke of you... about your eyes... she used to talk about you..._

Vincent suddenly realized, with a lurch of his stomach, that their ruby eyes had been almost the same colour.

Whoever had done this would pay.

* * *

Author's Note: Oooh! So much emo drama! Anyway, I'll be updating soon, so please review!!


	3. I'm Not Broken

Author's Note: Well, here you go, chapter three. I must say, this one is short and pretty rushed, so don't put too much stock in it, but... hmmm... the idea of bringing Tifa back to life... hmm... I'll have to think about that one. Anyway, chapter three:

* * *

_Hello_

- A CloTi and One-Sided ViFa Fan Fiction -

_"Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken..." - Evanescence, 'Hello' _

_Tifa slowly opened her eyes, then shut them. It was so bright._

_She must have slept in; it was too light outside for it to be daybreak._

_I'd better go fix breakfast for Marlene and Denzel. Maybe Cloud will be home..._

_And then she remembered._

_She was dead._

_She opened her eyes again, and saw that she was floating in a warm white light. Well... sort of floating. More like drifting. Her body felt light, almost as if she didn't have a body._

_In fact, she wasn't even sure where she was._

_She looked all around, then cried, "Hello?"_

_No answer._

_"Hello?" she called a little more forcefully._

_Still no answer._

_"Is this where people go when they die?" she asked aloud._

_"No," came the soft answer._

_Suddenly, a figure appeared out of the light, seeming to coagulate like smoke. A young woman's gentle voice floated into her head. "This is the Lifestream."_

_Aeris._

_"The Lifestream? But... but how can that be? I thought..."_

_"I brought you here, Tifa," Aeris replied, smiling. "It wasn't your time."_

_Tifa didn't understand, but she nodded mutely. Cloud... poor Cloud..._

_"What about Cloud?" she asked. "Does... does he know?"_

_Another figure appeared. "He misses you."_

_Zack._

_Tifa shook her head as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I never... I never got to say goodbye."_

_Aeris put a small, comforting hand on her shoulder as Zack murmured, "Do you want to?"_

_Tifa looked up in surprise. "W-what?"_

_"Do you want to see him again?"_

_Tifa's face broke into a smile though the tears. "Yes! Yes, please!"_

_A vision of Cloud and Vincent Valentine came into view._

_Cloud looked horrible; dissheveled clothing, pale face, empty eyes..._

_Vincent sat on the step of a funeral home. Waiting, it seemed._

_"Cloud. I need to talk to you."_

_Cloud seemed startled, then replied, "I don't want to talk."_

_Tifa longed to hold him, to tell him that she was alright._

_Vincent had Cloud's arm in his clutch, demanding, "Do you understand how she felt about you? What she sacrificed for you? Do you?"_

_"Vincent, please, I can't... I can't do this right now."_

_All of a sudden, Vincent had pulled his hand-gun out and was holding it against Cloud's head. "No!" Tifa screamed. "Vincent!"_

_"Do you know what you did to her? What your running away did?"_

_Tifa gazed at Aeris in alarm. "He's going to kill him!"_

_Aeris' face was troubled, but she shook her head. "He would not hurt anything that was precious to you."_

_"What?" Tifa searched the young Cetra's face, but she was silent. The marshal artist turned her attention back to Vincent and Cloud._

_"You killed her more than that mako addict did!" Vincent snarled. "You killed her heart, Cloud! Don't you understand that at all?!"_

_Tifa shook her head. "Vincent, don't..."_

_"Vincent, please... I... I loved her!"_

_After what seemed like a lifetime, Vincent retracted Cerberus, shaking his head in disgust. "Even in her last moments, all she wanted was for you to be safe."_

_Tifa closed her eyes. She couldn't watch any more._

_"Yeah, that's right. She cared about you more than she cared about herself, even when she knew she was going to die."_

_Tifa looked back at the scene, her eyes full of tears._

_"She was carrying your child, Cloud. She wanted you to know about your little girl."_

_Tifa put her hand over her eyes. "No more. Show me no more."_

_Aeris shook her head. "Did you know, Tifa, how much Vincent Valentine cared for you?"_

_Tifa shook her head. "I thought... I thought I knew. He was my friend, my confidant, he was there when Cloud wasn't. He was the one who told me to be brave and not..." Tears were falling now, falling and fading into nothingness..._

_Aeris put her hand on Tifa's shoulder again. "I know how you felt when he left. I know."_

_Tifa looked up, her eyes shining. "I wanted to die, because I thought that if he knew how much I loved him... if he knew that I would die for him, maybe he would finally..."_

_"... love you?"_

_She nodded, unable to speak._

_Zack put hands on either side of her face, the same way Cloud did. The gesture was so familiar it brought fresh tears to her eyes. "Tifa, he did love you, but..."_

_"... but Vincent did too," Aeris finished._

_"Vincent told me not to kill myself. I didn't tell him I would, but I guess... I guess he knew me that well..."_

_"Do you want to speak to him?"_

_Tifa nodded slowly. "Yes. I think... I think I must."_


	4. Tell Her

Author's Note: Voila! Chapter Four!! Sorry it took me so long to update. Life has been hectic, and I had a bad case of writer's block.

Anyway, for those of you who were wondering about the whole eye colour situation (sorry, it was just a little bit of trivial fluff and has nothing really important to do with the story), it was something that my boyfriend said to me (before he broke up with me, a week ago): I said, "Your eyes are so beautiful", and then he said, "But yours are the very same colour!" Then he laughed and said, "You always notice what's beautiful about other people, even if it's the same beauty you have!"

... I don't know, I just thought it applied to Vincent and Tifa... in some weird way.

* * *

Hello

- A CloTi and One-Sided ViFa Fan Fiction -

_"If I smile and don't believe; soon I know I'll wake from this dream..."_ - Evanescence, 'Hello'

Vincent closed his eyes and contemplated the darkness.

He didn't mind darkness. In fact, he preferred it to the light. Darkness suited him. He was definitely a creature of the night.

But... but it was _different_, somehow, when Tifa was around. When she was near him, he felt like he was bathed in light... and since she had gone, he had been swallowed in darkness. Darkness of the soul.

"Tifa... why did you have to die?" he murmured mournfully. He lay on his bed, dissheveled and restless.

It had been a week since the funeral. Actually, he didn't know how long it had been... time was meaningless to him now. Every day represented one spent without her...

* * *

"Vincent?"

"Yes, Tifa?"

"Umm... you're staring again."

The gunman looked away quickly in embarassement, as colour sprang to his cheeks. "Oh... sorry." He hadn't realized he was staring at her delicate but strong frame, as she gazed off into the distance.

The young woman just smiled and joked, "Am I _that _interesting?"

Vincent mumbled a little, which just caused Tifa to laugh some more. "You can look, but don't _stare_; staring makes me feel like you're analyzing. Like you're cutting to the heart of me."

_Funny that she'd use that description_, thought Vincent sadly. Because that was sort of what he was doing, in a way. He wanted to see her heart... but like her name suggested, it was locked.

When he was sure she was looking back at the horizon, he snuck a glance at Tifa; she was sitting in the tall, soft grass while he was perched uneasily on a rock. She wore a thin indigo skirt and a white summer camisole. Her dark ebony hair was down, little fly-away wisps twisting like ribbons in the gentle breeze. Her face was calm, as her gorgeous russet eyes stared into the distance.

She was so... _beautiful_.

They sat in a field somewhere, a few miles from Midgar. Ever since the DeepGround SOLDIERs had been defeated, and life had returned to the planet, Cloud had come back to live with Tifa. But he had been busier and busier with his deliveries... so Vincent would keep Tifa company on such days.

The sun was shining brightly; a little too brightly for Vincent's taste. But Tifa loved the sun, so he didn't mind it that much.

"Vincent... I can tell you anything, right?"

"Of course," he replied.

Tifa pulled an elastic from her wrist and gathered her long hair into a loose ponytail. She sighed, and stared at the setting sun. "Nothing. It's stupid, really."

"No, tell me." He looked at her meaningfully, and for just a moment, she met his gaze.

"I'm just glad that you're here."

"Here?" Vincent repeated. _What did she mean by that_?

Tifa looked off to the side, embarassed. "I don't know, it's just that... well, with Cloud gone so much now... I don't really have anyone to talk to." She turned her gaze back to him, then looked away quickly. "I mean, not to say that I don't talk to the kids, or the customers, but... but it's nice to be with someone I know well... someone I've fought beside." She looked at him again and laughed lightly. "It's silly, isn't it?"

Vincent shook his head. "No."

She smiled. "I guess I just get so wrapped up in my own thoughts whenever I have no one to talk to. I'm sorry if I say weird stuff."

Vincent's face broke into a rare, fleeting smile. "It's not as weird as you might think."

After a moment, he asked faintly, "I can tell _you _anything, Tifa?"

Tifa smiled reassuringly. "Of course."

_Tell her, just tell her_... he screamed inwardly. _Tell her you love her, always have and always will_!

He sighed. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

Tifa's eyes were kind and compassionate. She was worried about him.

He couldn't bear to look at them anymore.

Tifa took Vincent's hand and replied softly, "When you feel ready, you can tell me."

* * *

Vincent opened his eyes. He could feel his throat constricting as he tried to suppress his mounting tears. He didn't know why, but he was always on the emotional edge around her. He felt like the thick armour that he had built around his heart would crack for just an instant.

But she had loved Cloud. Not him.

_Why_?

Vincent rolled over and stared at the two objects which lay on his bedside table, which had always laid there: the first, his triple-barrel handgun, Cerberus, loaded with one single bullet. These last few days, that bullet had started to look mighty friendly... But he wouldn't take the cowardly way out. He had promised Tifa he would be strong...

The other was a small photo, yellowed with age and slightly frayed around the edges. Two faces stared up at him; his own, and Tifa's. She had her arm around his shoulder, and her head cocked to the side. He was stone-faced, with a hint of a satisfied smile at the edges of his lips, and she beamed like heaven on earth. Barret had taken it after he had helped her rebuild Seventh Heaven a third time.

"_Vincent! You were there, why couldn't you save her_?"

He heard Yuffie's voice in his head, as if she had spoken those words just a moment ago; but though she had said them a year ago about Shalua Rui, he felt like they were directed at him about Tifa.

All he had said was, "I'm sorry."

The same two words he had heard so many people say so many times. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry_...

Vincent leapt up and threw the table with all his strength. It rammed into the wall and dented it with a terrible crash. "Sorry's not good enough!" he exploded in anguish.

His gun clattered loudly to the floor, but the picture just fluttered and rested there silently, soft and light as a feather. Her face was still looking up at him.

* * *

That night, Vincent's dreams was troubled; he could hear Tifa, calling his name...

Only... only she looked different. She was surrounded by a white light, and her voice echoed weakly. She seemed to be searching for him. "_Vincent_! _Vincent_! _Where are you_? _Vincent_!"

"Tifa?" he called back. "I'm right here!"

But she couldn't see him.

"_Vincent_!"

She sounded like she was in trouble. He had to help her... _but where was she_?

* * *

When he awoke, he knew that he needed to find her. But where to start? How could you find someone that was dead?

He decided to visit her grave.


	5. I Am Your Mind

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Oh. My. God. I hope I haven't lost you guys with my stupid procrastination and stuff, because I've been so busy and it's been so easy to update the other stories because they aren't all as personal and... I don't know, they're just not as deep as this one.

This took me forever to finally sit down and write, but because of someone very special, I got the motivation to update my very first fan fictions. I guess this must be the most dramatic, emo, twisted, unrequited love-y chapter of Hello EVER!

... and I'm kinda proud of that, despite the fact that I know you all want to kill me for keeping up the suspense.

But anyway, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the most dramatic, emo, twisted, unrequited love-y chapter of Hello EVER! XD

--

Hello

- A CloTi and One-Sided ViFa Fan Fiction -

_"Hello, I am your mind; giving you someone to talk to... hello..."_ - Evanescence, 'Hello'

It was light out; light, but not sunny. Light, but not warm. Light, but not cheery. A thick, fluffy layer of clouds blanketed Midgar, making it look much darker than it would normally be in the late afternoon.

Vincent walked slowly and carefully through the empty cemetery. He was respectful of the dead; so many good friends lay eternally sleeping beneath his feet.

His eyes darted around, searching the rows of tombstones and grave markers, some soaring hight, marble with a white statue an angel or The Goddess on top, others a small, simple slab of granite with nothing but a name and a date.

Finally, at the far, isolated corner of the cemetery, he reached the grave he was searching for. For some reason, he had expected it to be different from the others, just like in the movies, on top of a hill or in some significant place. But until Cloud could afford a proper tombstone, nothing but an emotionless, nondescript plastic grave marker and a large rectangle where the grass had not yet grown over showed the final resting place of Tifa Lockhart.

He hesitated; since her burial he had been the only member of AVALANCHE to not have visited it multiple times. They had all called him unfeeling.

_Could they not see_? Vincent thought with anguish.

Since his strange and distressing nightmare of her, he couldn't stop thinking about her grave. He knew he had to come here; it was almost an instinct. He would find her... or he would fall apart. He knew this, and accepted it.

He had been falling apart a little more each day since her death; Vincent understood this. You see, hearts aren't just broken; that's too simple, too clean, like breaking a plate or ripping a piece of paper. Hearts are shredded, burned, torn, shattered, destroyed, bleeding into every other organ, filling the body with sorrow and confusion.

But he and his heart had parted ways a long time ago; he ignored the empty feeling, like a hole in his chest...

Surely he could not feel this?

As soon as he was standing over the grave, gazing down at the assortment of flowers that had been left there. Their bright colours hurt his eyes, but he stared at them anyway. It felt like forever since he had seen colour; not just looked at it, but actually _seen_ it.

Suddenly, at the sight of a rose nearly identical to the one he had cast a week before, he couldn't contain himself any longer. He fell to his knees, his hands palm-up, _pleading_...

He gazed up at the sky, but it just stared right back, the cloudy grey hurting his eyes more than the colours of the flowers.

He _did _have a heart... and if it wasn't already broken into a million tiny, sharp, cutting pieces, then it was happening now.

His sadness poured out of him as his body shook with silent sobs, his head filled with all the white noise of grief that he couldn't scream out. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them so wide he couldn't see anything. He raked his fingers through the freshly-dug earth, covered his face and wrapped his arms around himself. He curled in and out of a ball and lay there, on his side like a wounded animal. He still scratched and tore at the ground with one desperate hand, wanting to get closer to her.

First Rosemary... then Lucretia... and now... _her_...

The only women he had ever loved, all gone forever...

Finally, his shaking body stilled to quiet shivers, his eyes closed as the exhaustion and sleep-deprivation overwhelmed him, and he slowly sank down into the black well of hopelessness, and cried himself into a troubled slumber.

But, all of a sudden, he felt an odd lightness touch the edge of his consciousness, in his fingertips, and then reaching up, caressing the rest of him, until he felt like he was being lifted off of the cold earth.

He felt a gentle hand on his wrist, cool and calming and yet electrifyingly warm at the same time.

"Vincent?"

A soft, surprised voice woke him. He looked up, and his heart stopped.

It was her, sitting before as plain as day. Her hair was as it always was, down and gently fluttering, though there was no breeze. Had she always been so beautiful?; his memory betrayed him. Her face seemed to shine... or was it that they were surrounded by light?

"You... you're..." He couldn't say her name, much less say anything else.

She laughed sadly and placed her hands in her lap."Vincent, (his name on her lips sounded like a song just for him) you were never one to be tongue-tied."

Vincent felt that strange feeling, and he almost smiled, but instead stammered, "You... _you're alive_?!"

Tifa's smile faded. "No... I'm in the Lifestream now..."

"But... how are you here?"

"I'm not... really _here_, Vincent," she said in a pained voice. "This -" She gestured around them (they were in a seemingly endless field of flowers, like the ones in Aeris' church), "is a dream. And this -" She took his hand and placed it on her heart, "is a memory."

Vincent pressed his hand closer, desperately; nothing. No pulse, not even a tremor.

The reality of this sent ice shards into Vincent's already shattered heart. "No..." he murmured. He wanted so much to touch her, to hold her, to feel her... but he knew it wouldn't be real.

Tifa sensed his pain... and his desire. She drew back slightly, a complicated look on her face. "If I were a Cetra, I could actually appear, or draw someone in... but I exist now only in your memories. I'm a mere projection of who I was before, Vincent."

After a short and uncomfortable silence, she asked softly, "Why did you do that to Cloud, Vincent?"

This took the gunman off guard. "I..."

Tifa stood up and turned away from him. "Why would you do that to him?" Vincent suspected she was angry, perhaps even furious, but everything in her voice was sad and wistful.

He supposed it wouldn't really be appropriate to ask, "Do what?", for he knew full well that she was referring to the funeral, when Vincent had almost killed Cloud in a fit of rage.

He hung his head, so he wouldn't have to look at her as he said, "He killed you."

Tifa whipped around sharply. Her body language indicated she was angry, but she still just looked pained. "Vincent, don't _ever _say that."

"But it's true," he answered unkindly. "You know... _I_ know how much you suffered!"

Tifa turned away again to hide her tears, but Vincent was finished yet. "Why did you always care so much for him, and all he gave you in return was sorrow? Even on your _deathbed_!" The last word made him hesitate; it was odd to be speaking to someone of their own death. He took a breath and continued, quieter, "Even on your deathbed, you wanted _him_."

The significance of the word 'him' was not lost on either of them.

"Vincent..." Tifa pleaded. "I'm... sorry..."

She turned to face him, and Vincent gasped. She was exactly the way she had been that night in the hospital; pale and anemic, hair wild and face streaked with tears. The bloody bandages and bruises were there, and they made Vincent's heart wrench. He reached out to touch her, but she shifted away uncomfortably.

"Vincent, please don't think about that..."

He closed his eyes, and when they opened, she was normal again, but the image of her broken body lingered painfully in his mind. He couldn't erase the memory of the strangle-bruises on her throat, but he pretended not to notice.

"Don't think about that," she murmured gently. "I told you, I am just a projection of your memory; nothing more, nothing less."

Suddenly, the field of flower shimmered and changed, but not completely; it was still a field, but it was endless grassland. Vincent recognized this place; yes, there in the distance, was the hazy outline of Midgar. It was sunny, and warm, and as he turned to Tifa, his prediction was correct; she wore the same indigo skirt and thin white camisole she had so long ago, it seemed.

Tifa turned to look at him, puzzled. "Vincent... what is this place?"

"Don't you remember?" he asked wistfully.

He felt something touch the edges of his mind; it was warm, pleasant, and gentle, not invasive, but still sent a jolt through his body. He realized that it was Tifa doing this.

"I... remember now," she said slowly. "Yes..."

Vincent's memory played out before them. It was so strange; they could both see and feel and hear what Vincent had experienced, see and feel and hear what _Tifa _had experienced, and yet be watching from a distance, as if they were living it and watching it at the same time. Vincent had never felt something so wonderful, to step out of himself and see the world through Tifa's bright eyes, but still be in his body as well.

"Yes, this was one of the places you and I used to walk... where we used to talk... and -"

Tifa probed the fringe of his consciousness further, going deeper... Vincent shivered at the intimacy, the sharing of thoughts and memories and emotions. He reached out with his mind, and felt the radiant warmth of her spirit. A low moan escaped his mouth, and he recoiled slightly in embarrassment.

But it felt so good...

Just then, something... happened. It was as though Vincent had touched something in her, and she gasped. "Vincent!" she cried. "I..." They were linked together somehow, and they could feel everything the other felt.

Vincent panicked, and tried to hide that small corner where he had locked away everything he had ever felt for her, but he realized that she couldn't read him; she was still only touching the outside of his heart and mind. He heard her say, as if in a trance, "Vincent... you... can't..."

Without warning, she mentally leapt forward, and the link was complete. He felt his love and devotion and passion and want well up and pour out of him, and he knew she could feel it. He felt her surprise, her horror, and then... something he couldn't identify...

"Vincent... you...

The memory of his words on the night of her death surfaced; "Tifa, I... I _love_ you", and Tifa mentally exploded, "_YOU CAN'T FEEL THIS_!"

She yanked herself out of his mind, causing Vincent to gasp in agony and her to cry out; the link was broken. The scene around them dissolved slowly, and they were back in the field of flowers, both crumpled and writhing in pain.

Tifa's eyes were wide, and she choked out, "You... can't... feel... _this_. Aeris told me, and Zack... they both knew... _why_, Vincent? You can't..."

All of a sudden, Vincent felt a small change in him, and he said fiercely, "But I do... let me show you..." He pulled her to him, and almost ferociously, pressed his mouth to hers.

Tifa sighed against his lips, and he couldn't tell if she was feeling the same intense burning passion that he was; all he knew were the sparks dancing in front of his eyelids. He put his hand on her face, and kissed her deeply. To his surprise, her tense body was slowly relaxing, and to his even greater surprise, she didn't pull away.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Vincent eased back, gulping breaths of air. Tifa did the same.

Once they had both caught their breath, Tifa murmured softly, "Don't do that again."

She wasn't angry, but Vincent still felt ashamed. "I'm... I'm sorry."

She nodded and stood up, but immediately collapsed. Vincent rushed to her, and opened his mouth worriedly, but she shook her head. "I'm exhausted, that's all... I... I feel so much..."

"Feel so much for a dead woman?"

She laughed tiredly and let Vincent pull her to him protectively. She laid her cheek against his shoulder.

Tifa kept her eyes down, but her voice wavered as she repeated, "You don't love me, Vincent... you _can't_..."

"And why not?" he yelled, angry again. "Why is it wrong to love you?"

He felt her shudder in his arms. "Why is it wrong, Tifa?" he repeated more gently.

She drew in a quick breath, almost a sob, and buried her head in his chest. "Because... you don't love me."

Vincent hesitated. She couldn't know about Rosemary; he had hidden his love for her much deeper than his love for Tifa.

"_Cloud _loves me," she murmured.

"_WHY HIM_?" Vincent exploded, grabbing Tifa's shoulders desperately and forcing her head up to look at him. "_Why_?" The unspoken words 'and why not me' hovered in the air. Tifa's eyes teared again as Vincent continued, "Don't you understand? He killed you ages before that damned mako addict stabbed you -"

"It wasn't a mako addict," she murmured, so quiet that Vincent almost didn't hear.

"_What_?"

"It wasn't a mako addict, Vincent," she repeated.

--

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Ooooh... DRAMARAMA!!

Who is this Rosemary? Why does Tifa not want Vincent to love her? Who really killed Tifa? And, the biggest question of all... WILL THEY FINALLY BE TOGETHER OR WHAT?!

That's what I want YOU to decide.

Option #1 - Through some miracle (probably involving self-sacrifice), Tifa comes back, and she dumps Cloudy-boy and she and Vincent live happily ever after, or

Option #2 - Through some miracle (once again probably involving self-sacrifice), Tifa comes back, goes back to Cloud and Vincent remains forever emo and loveless. Or maybe even

Option #3 - Tifa doesn't come back and nobody wins. Period.

So, do you guys hate me NOW for leaving you in suspense AGAIN?

Well, tough, cuz I know you all love it! XD

But I really will try and update ALL my fan fics, especially Hello, the oldest, neglected child. Oh, and that reminds me (about stories, not oldest neglected children, because I am of that variety): I have another story coming your way! It's in the same relative style as 'My Best Friend's Wedding Sort Of', and it's what happens afterwards. I'll give you guys a preview on my bio/profile page, and a cookie to anyone who reads it!

So comment and vote on which ending you want!! I won't promise it'll be the way you want it, but I'll try and please everyone!


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